Launch
World of Warcraft came out in North America on November 23, 2004 and in Europe on February 11, 2005. After the first expansion Blizzard announced plans for one expansion a year, but that pace never happened: new expansions have arrived roughly every two years.
Expansions
| Expansion | Released | New lands | New races / classes | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Burning Crusade | January 16, 2007 | Outland | Blood Elf, Draenei | Flying mounts, arenas, Jewelcrafting, Heroic dungeons |
| Wrath of the Lich King | November 13, 2008 | Northrend | Death Knight (class) | Inscription, achievements, barbershop, Dungeon Finder |
| Cataclysm | December 7, 2010 | A remade Azeroth, Elemental Plane | Goblin, Worgen | Archaeology, Raid Finder, transmogrification, new race and class pairs |
| Mists of Pandaria | September 25, 2012 | Pandaria, Wandering Isle | Pandaren; Monk (class) | Battle pets, talent revamp, account-wide mounts |
| Warlords of Draenor | November 13, 2014 | Draenor (alternate universe) | — | Garrisons, Mythic difficulty, Toy Box, Timewalking |
| Legion | August 30, 2016 | Broken Isles, Argus | Demon Hunter (class) | Artifact weapons, class halls, Mythic+, world quests |
| Battle for Azeroth | August 13/14, 2018 | Kul Tiras, Zandalar | 10 allied races | War Mode, Heart of Azeroth, Island Expeditions, Warfronts |
| Shadowlands | November 23/24, 2020 | Shadowlands, Exile's Reach | — | Covenants, Torghast, Great Vault, Timewalking Campaigns |
| Dragonflight | November 28/29, 2022 | Dragon Isles | Dracthyr; Evoker (class) | Skyriding mounts, new talent trees, profession revamp |
| The War Within | August 26, 2024 | Khaz Algar | Earthen | Hero talents, Delves, Warbands, cross-realm guilds |
| Midnight | March 2, 2026 | Quel'Thalas, Harandar, Voidstorm | Haranir | Player housing, Devourer demon hunter specialization, transmogrification overhaul |
Classic releases
Since 2019 Blizzard has also run World of Warcraft Classic, which rebuilds the original game and then re-releases the old expansions one by one.
| Release | Date |
|---|---|
| World of Warcraft Classic | August 26/27, 2019 |
| Burning Crusade Classic | June 1, 2021 |
| Wrath of the Lich King Classic | September 26, 2022 |
| Cataclysm Classic | May 20, 2024 |
| Mists of Pandaria Classic | July 21, 2025 |
| Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition | February 5, 2026 |
World of Warcraft: Forever
World of Warcraft: Forever is a separate version of the game, announced at BlizzCon 2026 and released on November 4, 2026. It keeps the look and core rules of the 2004 game but tells its own stories with its own content, runs alongside retail and Classic, and is not part of the retail story. More: World of Warcraft: Forever.
What comes next
The Last Titan will be the twelfth expansion and the third and final chapter of the Worldsoul Saga, after The War Within and Midnight. It is not expected before 2027. Players will return to a redesigned Northrend and see the titans come back to Azeroth at Ulduar; Dalaran will not be the expansion hub.
Sources
- Warcraft Wiki: Expansion
- Warcraft Wiki: World of Warcraft
- Warcraft Wiki: World of Warcraft: Classic
- Warcraft Wiki: World of Warcraft: Forever
- Warcraft Wiki: World of Warcraft: The Last Titan
Game pictures: © Blizzard Entertainment · worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
